In a plane of existence not our own, a group of beings had once again convened. This time...it was to chew out one of their own for their failure to initiate an impact.
"You had one job, Schlemiel," Zeruel frustratingly said as he held up one 'finger' on his left hand, "ONE JOB."
"Hey, don't lookit me, I'm a victim of soicumstance!" Schlemiel said defensively.
"I'll show you 'circumstance'," Zeruel said as he formed his hand into a fist. "See this? Hit it."
Schlemiel proceeded to do just that, as his own fist tapped the top of Zeruel's, causing the 14th Angel's arm to swing clockwise till the bottom of Zeruel's fist bonked Schlemiel on the head.
"OOH!" Schlemiel yelped as he backed up a bit, before running his hands down his face with very Curly-esque annoyed grunts, followed by an odd shuffling of his feet.
Zeruel then turned at the sound of chuckling, finding its source in a mirthful-looking Sachiel.
"What're you laughing at, beaky boy?" Zeruel growled as he grabbed Sachiel's beak with his right hand and flexed it upwards.
"Nhaaaaaah!" the Third Angel let out in a very Larry-like manner.
"Nyuk-nyuk-nyuk!" Schlemiel laughed as he pointed at Sachiel's misfortune.
From her easy chair in another corner of the space, Shamshel looked up from the book she was reading (Noël Coward's Fallen Angels) at the shenaningans her brethren were engaging in, rolled her eyes a bit, and shook her head.
"*Sigh* Maroons, all of them..." she said resignedly before resuming her reading.
Episode 40 - Makin' Some Calls, Payin' Some Visits...
The two Freaks had just finished their patrol for the day when they ran to the place where they were meeting Kusagabe and the NERV folks. Said place was the site of a former toy factory that the Freaks had converted into an additional secret entrance to the Freakalair (also accessible via an extension of the Freak-A-Fall). As soon as everyone had boarded the strange set of roller-coaster cars, the train immediately made its way to the Freakalair (those who weren't the Freaks, Kusagabe, or Rei screaming as they went). Once there, the NERV folks took a moment to collect themselves before joining the others at a meeting table, just as R.O.D.D.Y. and Naoko appeared on the screens behind them.
"Normally I like roller coasters, but I think I'll be avoiding them for a while," Asuka said as she sat down.
"Well, people, we all know why we're here today," Misato stated.
"Ooh! Ooh!" Freakazoid said as he waved his raised arm like an eager school kid. "Are we discussing the latest Game of Thrones fan theories?"
The adult NERV staffers just stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Um, NO," Ritsuko flatly stated. "But seriously, DON'T spoil anything, I'm still catching up on season 4!"
"I know!" Freakazette chimed in. "It's about the end of DC's New 52 era in comics and how we're all jumping for joy!"
"Also NO," Kaji also flatly affirmed. "Though I am happy about them putting the trunks back on Superman's costume, the whole 'Kryptonian armor' look just never sat right with me..."
"*UGH* We're here to discuss how we're gonna stop Shinji's dad AND SEELE at the same time!" Asuka said exasperatingly, as she held the bridge of her nose.
"Oh, riiiight," Freakazoid said. "That thing, I nearly forgot."
"And you crushed on this guy, why?" Asuka asked Rei in a sarcastic whisper.
"So where are we on this?" Shinji asked, finally getting the conversation to where it was supposed to be going.
"Glad you asked," Kaji said as he started laying some papers all over the table. "According to a contact of mine working under their noses, while Gutierrez may have ditched the overall plans of SEELE, he's still going to make 'good' use of the equipment and connections they built in preparation. These include-"
"The Mass Production EVAs," Ritsuko finished as she pointed to what looked like a set of specifications. They depicted an EVA the pilots hadn't seen before: from the neck down, the structure was similar to a standard EVA's, though with an uninspired black and white color palette. One feature that did distinguish them from the more colorful EVAs in NERV's arsenal was a pair of vulture-like wings protruding from its back. It was the head that drew the most disgust from all involved, as it looked like a chalk-white worm with a Joker-esque grin (complete with unnerving red lips).
"*YECH!* Are they U-G-L-Y with no alibi or what?" Freakazette said with a grimace.
"It's not just their appearances we need to worry about," Naoko explained as she pulled up a transparent holographic model of the MP EVA. "The Mass Production Evangelion is equipped with both an artificial S2 engine and a dummy plug, most likely based on the brain patterns of Kaworu Nagisa. Its primary weapon-" An odd, double-bladed weapon next to the model was highlighted by Naoko in particular. "-is a close replica of the Lance of Longinus in Terminal Dogma; what you see is its disguised form. It's the only thing that can really do damage to an Evangelion, due to its ability to cut through an AT-Field like a hot knife through butter.
"In short," Ritsuko continued, "if one were to describe the Mass Production Evangelion in a single sentence: no pilot, no external power source, no mercy."
The others shuddered at the statement.
"How many of these things are we talking?" Misato asked.
"Accordin' to Kaji and Naoko's intel," R.O.D.D.Y. answered, "they've got nine o' these beasties at the ready."
"That must be why they needed all that money moved about," Makoto theorized, "so they could secure all the resources to get these things finished fast."
"But why would they want to even finish these when Gutierrez scrapped the Human Instrumentality Project?" Maya asked.
"Most likely as an insurance policy against the EVAs we already have," Misato grimly.
"My contact gave me more good news," Kaji said with deliberate irony. "Turns out it's definitely not Instrumentality that Gutierrez is after-it's strictly the MAGI."
Ritsuko's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "What could he possibly want the central MAGI for?"
Kaji looked around at everyone before he continued. "It's all for the goal of..."
In wanting to save the surprise of what the plan is for the teaser of the following chapter when the villains discuss it, let's just say that Kaji's revelations left the others quite shocked, appalled, and even a bit confused. Even so, the fact that Gutierrez was willing to go to such lengths to carry out that plan was terrible to them. Add in what Rei and Ritsuko revealed what Commander Ikari would possibly attempt to do while Gutierrez's forces launched their assault, and this was quite the dual-front battle they were going to be in for.
"But wait a minute," Asuka started to ask, "what excuse would he have to attack us? Even with SEELE's hooks in the UN, someone's gonna wonder why they'd launch an attack on Japanese soil."
"This is where their political and military connections come in," Kaji explained. "Someone in the upper echelons of the Japanese government will receive an 'anonymous tip' that NERV's planning to initiate their own Third Impact, causing its special protected status to be revoked and putting it directly under the government's control. Any refusal to comply-which, given Commander Ikari's own plans, is a given-would be met with swift action."
"We've gotta stop them somehow!" Shinji stated fearfully.
Kaji, one of his trademark sloppy grins appearing on his face, spoke up to reassure the Third Child. "Thankfully for us," he started to explain, "me and my superiors in the JDA have been working in tandem with INTERPOL to systematically cut off SEELE's political, military, and business connections. With any luck, MP EVAs aside, the overall strength of their fighting forces will be greatly diminished at the anointed time."
"Doesn't mean they won't be without contingencies," Misato put forward. "If my guess is right, they'll probably have hired a large number of PMCs to bolster their ranks. Combined with the MP EVAs, and the whole city will become a warzone."
"I'll work on getting a citywide evacuation organized," Kusagabe offered up. "The sooner we manage to get the entire civilian population out before the fighting starts, the better. I've known almost every cop on the force for a long time, we'll get it squared away."
"In the meantime, no offense to you NERV guys, but your security forces stink, I'm guessing on purpose," Freakazoid said as he held his chin in contemplation. "And something tells me Section-2's not gonna be much help either. We've gotta get some reinforcements of our own." He then smiled before he continued. "And I know just where we'll get them..."
NERV-2, Nevada, USA, central conference room...
A priority-level email had summoned Major Toby Danger and some of NERV-2's key personnel to a conference room seldom-used by the staff. Said personnel included Dr. Kaga; Aoi, Satsuki, and Kaede, the bridge bunnies; head of IT Dexter Douglas; and EVA pilots Marie Vincennes and Mari 'Illustrious' Makinami. Once everyone was in the room, a video call was answered on a larger screen, revealing Misato, Ritsuko, and Kaji. Toby, in particular, smiled a bit upon seeing the mauve-haired major.
"Misato! Been a while," he greeted.
Misato blinked before a surprised and sheepish expression adorned her face. "Uh, hey there, Toby," she greeted in return with a slight awkwardness.
"'Hey there, Toby'?" Kaji said with a raised eyebrow.
"You know him?" Ritsuko asked.
"Er, yeah, we kinda dated for a bit..." Misato said as she absentmindedly rubbed the back of her head. When she noticed Kaji's look, she immediately became defensive. "It was while we were in the UN Peacekeeping Forces! In the past! We parted amicably, I swear!"
"So what's the call for?" Toby asked. "I also noticed that this is on a really secure setting. What's going on?"
Misato mentally breathed a sigh of relief when Toby switched topics. "It's because what we're about to tell you contains a lot of really, really sensitive information. Information that's a matter of life and death and concerns the true purpose of NERV."
"I hear you," Toby responded. "When Freakazoid helped us out a while back, he warned us our own organization might not be on the up-and-up as we've been led to believe."
"Believe you me, it's worse than that," Misato grimly stated. "You see..."
For the next twenty or so minutes, Misato, Kaji, and Ritsuko explained everything, from the real cause of Second Impact to Gutierrez and Commander Ikari's dueling plans for the world. The severity of these revelations were definitely justification for the shocked looks on the faces of the NERV-2 staff.
"Freakazoid definitely wasn't kidding when he said something was rotten with NERV," Toby said as he pounded on the desk, before facing the screen again. "Misato, we'll have your backs. No one's taking over or ending the world, not while we're able to stop it."
Misato nodded. "Good to know, Toby. We're counting on you guys. Good luck, and keep us posted." With that, the two majors flashed each other a salute before the video call ended. Toby then turned to face his subordinates.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you've all just been given the situation-now we've got to act," he stated. "Hitomi and Dexter, you and the bridge bunnies work with your counterparts in Tokyo-3 to reinforce the central MAGI. It's likely SEELE will try to hack their way into taking over the main base before launching an armed assault."
Dr. Kaga, Dexter, and the bridge bunnies nodded in affirmation as Toby then turned to Marie and Mari.
"As for the two of you," he said as he addressed the pilots, "get some rest, because tomorrow we're going to be prepping you and your EVAs for deployment to Tokyo-3 to back up the other Units at NERV-Central. The Angels may be gone, but it looks like you'll finally be seeing some action. Let's see if all that training we put you through will pay off!"
"Yes, sir!" both girls replied at attention.
"All right, people, let's get moving!" Toby commanded.
A tech and media startup's office in Silicon Valley, California...
In the office of the CEO of a burgeoning tech and media startup, a new email appeared in said CEO's inbox. The balding, goatee'd, bespectacled, near-overweight CEO-one Finn Boylan-looked over the email very carefully, before letting out an astonished gasp as he noticed just who it was from: Freakazoid. A determined look now on his face, he opened a drawer labeled 'mementos' and pulled out a green blanket. Moments later, the door to his office burst open, and he stepped out, the blanket tied around his neck like a cape, surprising all his employees with its abruptness. He cleared his throat and began to address all of them.
"My loyal employees," he began, "long before you joined me in making my vision a reality, I was once a lowly nerd. But then a rare opportunity came my way, and I became something more than a lowly nerd! I became-" He then dramatically ripped off his black turtleneck, revealing a white t-shirt with a certain logo printed on the front; said logo was an orange FB! over a purple ovoid shape. "-FAN BOY! Sidekick to Freakazoid!"
His employees just stared at him, perplexed and slightly confused.
"And now, after fifteen years," Fan Boy continued, "Freakazoid has called upon me once more to aid him in the fight against the forces of evil! But more than that, he needs ALL of us! The fate of the world is at stake, and he needs our combined computing skills for the job! Are you with me?!"
The employees continued to stare at their boss, the sound of crickets chirping heard briefly in the background.
Sensing they'd need more motivation, Fan Boy went straight to Plan B. "...30% raise for every one of you if we manage to pull it off!"
This got everyone going, as they all suddenly cheered and paid attention while Fan Boy doled out what it was they needed to do for Freakazoid.
Freakazoid himself appeared over the shot as he addressed us directly.
"*Sigh* Some things never change," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Never thought I'd be turning to that guy in our hour of need."
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA...
It was a beautiful day as Old Faithful erupted on cue like always, as Freakazoid walked a trail with a man dressed in a green, leaf-covered costume. The man in question also wore a brown hat with a red feather in its black band, brown boots and gloves, a belt with a pine cone buckle, and a quiver full of arrows slung across his chest. The man also sported a salt-and-pepper beard and a bit of gray in his temples, and carried a bow.
"Looks like you've been doing well these past 15 years, Huntsman," Freakazoid noted.
"What can I say, Freakazoid?" the Huntsman replied. "After Second Impact, I realized the real action would be in fending off those who'd try to plunder our natural wonders. Turns out I was better-suited for fighting crime in the wilderness than I was in the city. I never did get why I couldn't seem to fight any crime there-seems like whenever I came in, there wasn't a crook to be fought anywhere at all. Darn the luck, darn, darn, darn!"
"What if I told you that you might have the chance to..." Freakazoid started to ask, working his way into a dramatic flourish, "save the world?"
Hearing this gave the Huntsman pause, before he resumed his stride. "It was good of you to think of me, Freakazoid, but I'm not that kind of crimefighter anymore. I've got my own world to protect now."
"But think of what I just told you about!" Freakazoid said with his arms briefly raised. "It won't matter whether Gutierrez or Ikari wins, either way, the Earth's doomed-and that goes double for every natural wonder in this great nation! As a defender of the American wilderness, ARE YOU PREPARED TO LET THEM DOWN, MAN?!"
The Huntsman again paused, and briefly held his chin in thought. Finally, he answered. "Darn, darn, darn! You're right! You need help keeping two evil schemes from ruining our glorious mother Earth, I'm your Huntsman! I'll get ready to be in Japan first thing tomorrow..." His train of thought was interrupted when they noticed two slacker-looking fellows a few yards away, one of whom had just carelessly tossed an empty aluminum can to the ground, which wound up rolling up to the Huntsman's left foot. A sneer appeared on his lips as he bent down and picked the can up, which he then crushed in his hand. "...Right after I toss a couple of litterbugs in the trash!" He then darted off towards the slackers. "Hey! Didn't anyone teach you lowlifes to recycle?!"
The two surprised slackers saw the approaching angry Huntsman and started making a run for it. Freakazoid, watching this unfold, briefly looked in our direction.
"Well, at least his heart's in the right place," he mused.
London, England, the U.K...
"I'm afraid I can't help you there, miss."
Those were the words said to Freakazette by one Nigel Skunkthorpe, formerly the superhero Lord Bravery, currently the owner and proprietor of Lords Smoked Meats and Fishes. He was addressing her from behind the counter of the deli in question, while she stood in front of the counter, a line of customers behind her. Aside from a mustache gracing the space above his upper lip, the years had been kind to the British hero, who'd wound up taking over ownership of the one place he briefly shared a moniker with after the copyright to 'Lord Bravery' temporarily lapsed.
"Come on, Nigel," Freakazette pursuaded, "there's gotta be some part of you who wants to get back in the game!"
"Sorry, Freakazette, but I'm quite satisfied with my lot in life," Nigel insisted. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a lot of customers to get to that you're holding up."
"But think of what'll happen!" Freakazette said as she kept going. "The whole world will be destroyed! Life as we know it wiped out! Think of the people! Think of your customers!" Her hands then went to the line that was continuing to build up of complaining people. "Is this what one of England's greatest heroes has come to? Would you really cast aside queen and country just so you could keep peddling smoked meats and fishes for who knows how long we've got till either Gutierrez or Ikari wins?!"
Nigel gave this some thought as his gaze briefly turned to a Union Jack hanging from the wall, the sounds of "Rule, Britannia" playing in the background. At that moment, something slightly patriotic stirred within the Englishman, which made him take off his paper hat and start to undo his apron.
"Reggie!" he called out for his teenage son. "Tell your mother that you two will be minding the shoppe for a while. There's something I've got to take care of..."
Freakazette smiled as she watched him head to the back room and upstairs to the living quarters above the deli. "I knew I'd get through to him," she said while looking our way, a small boombox playing "Rule, Britannia" in her hands. The smile then disappeared as she started hearing a bit of arguing coming from upstairs.
"Mathilda! Where's my costume!" she heard Nigel shout.
"In the storage room!" Mathilda, his wife, shouted back.
"Which storage room?!" Nigel asked back, "This place alone has four of them!"
Route 66, the American southwest, USA...
Freakazoid, in a spare Freakmobile, drove alongside Bessie Mae as it made its way down the road. Freakazoid was communicating via CB radio with Longhorn, who was at the wheel while they drove.
"...So that's why I need your help," the wacky wonder said as he spoke into the mic. "Over."
"Sorry there, Freak," Longhorn responded. "Like I told ya when you were in these here parts before, that thing with the cultists was just a one-time deal. Over."
"Aw, come on!" Freakazoid pleaded. "We could really use a guy like you! And besides, think about this-you help us stop both these plots from succeeding, and you'll have saved the lives of millions that'll make up a potentially new, international fanbase for your music-the majority of which hasn't even heard country music before! You could be their gateway, like Molly Ringwald to the French! Or David Hasselhoff to the Germans! Over."
"New fanbase, huh?" Longhorn mused as he gave Freakazoid's offer some thought. Finally, after a few minutes, Longhorn gave his reply. "Well, shoot! You make a good point, kid. All right, I'm in. Lemme get Bessie Mae prepped an' ready, and I'll be in Japan before you can say cowboy-ninja-Viking!" He then pulled on Bessie Mae's horn.
"Ten-four, good buddy!" Freakazoid replied. "Oh yeah, could you do one more thing while you're at it...?"
A Bed, Bath & Beyond in the Clover Highlands Mall, Shermer, Illinois, USA...
"We've got a big day out there, people. A big one. It's a full moon out, so people are going to be amped."
The group of Bed, Bath & Beyond employees paid close attention as their manager-a large, muscular, green-skinned, winged humanoid with an almost cephalopod-like head-drilled into them some motivation for the shift ahead. Like them, he was wearing the same blue vest that made up their 'uniform' over a short-sleeved collared shirt and some slacks.
"Let's see what we've got for hot tips!" The manager then pointed to the clipboard he was holding as he went over his notes. "Oh, yeah...the new pillow cases are in, and they're hot buys!"
The employees responded with some light cheers, a few of them exchanging high fives.
"One more thing-many an army has fallen before my might as I rent them asunder in the great battle of-" he paused as he realized what he was about to say. "Ah, nutbunnies, that was my previous job, just ignore that..."
A voice then came over the store's intercom at that moment. "Vorn the Unspeakable to the As Seen On TV section. Vorn the Unspeakable, please come to the As Seen On TV section..."
"Right then-excuse me for a moment, folks," Vorn said. "Duty calls. Anyway, go get 'em out there, and good luck!" He then headed down into the store's main floor just as the employees got up from their seats. When he arrived at the As Seen on TV section, he found Freakazette playing a demo of a TV plug-in retro gaming system. She put the controller down when she noticed Vorn standing there.
"Hey, Vorn!" she greeted. "Long time, no see!"
"Freakazette," he responded nonchalantly. "I assume Freakazoid is also back as well."
"You'd assume right!" the female wacky wonder confirmed cheerfully.
"Now then, what can I help you with today?" Vorn asked, shifting into store manager mode. "We're having a sale on all Kitchen Aid appliances, if interested. Great deals abound!"
"Sounds neat! I'll keep that in mind, got some holiday shopping to do soon, but I'm actually here for you," Freakazette stated. "Believe it or not, me and Freakazoid need your help saving the world from certain doom."
"Hmm..." the monstrous manager replied as he took in her words. "That'd definitely be new. Up till lately, I'd been known as a destroyer of worlds...Will the battle be an epic for the ages?"
"Oh, definitely," Freakazette answered as she nodded, "really high stakes involved! And it's in Japan, so you'd get a bit of travel in!"
"Ah yes, now that you mention it, there's an oni I know who owes me five bucks from a while back," Vorn said as he gave it more thought. He then got out his phone and quickly dialed his assistant manager. "Janine? I'll be taking a short vacation starting tomorrow. I'm putting you in charge until I get back."
Manhattan, New York, USA, a small café near Central Park...
"This definitely is a good candidate for moments that qualify as 'I never thought I would see the day."
That statement, delivered to Freakazoid, came from his former longtime foe Cave Guy, real name Royce Mumphry. With him was his wife Audrey, another former foe of Freakazoid's known for many years by the alias Cobra Queen. The three of them were sitting at a table at a small café facing one of the entrances to Central Park (one with a very good view, as a bonus), and were also joined by the Mumphrys' daughter Boa-Magnon via video-chat on a tablet Freakazoid had with him. The years had also been kind to the one-time super-criminal power couple, with only a bit of gray at Cave Guy's temples.
"Indeed," Cobra Queen concurred with her husband, "Freakazoid, of all people, coming to usss, asssking to help him sssave the world. What a world it'sss come to."
"I know it's hard to believe, but he's quite serious for once, mum," Boa chimed in. "I've worked for some nasty characters in my professional career, but what Gutierrez and Ikari each have in store is beyond anything you or your contemporaries have ever dreamt of."
"This is why I've warned you about screening your clients carefully, Jocelyn," Cave Guy said as he took another sip of his coffee.
"On the bright ssside, it'sss good to sssee that thisss particular asssssignment's allowed you to utilize a bit of your teaching degree," Cobra Queen commented.
"I do have to agree with you on that," Boa-Magnon responded. "And the kids have been quite manageable under my tutelage. It does feel good to help nurture a new generation of future conservationists..."
"So, whaddya say, guys?" Freakazoid asked. "Will you help us?"
"Oh, most assuredly, yes," Cave Guy answered.
Freakazoid was surprised by the response, as was Boa-Magnon. "Really? Wow, I kinda expected some hesitation from you two."
"Don't get usss wrong," Cobra Queen said. "We won't be helping you entirely out of the goodnessss of our heartsss."
"We'd certainly be taking great pleasure in bringing Gutierrez down a peg or two," Cave Guy elaborated. "Between you and us, we never could stand the man. Always had a very big, very unhealthy ego, in my humble opinion."
"Alssso, his taste is a little lacking," Cobra Queen added. "Plusss, I've been wanting to visit Japan for sssome time-it'll give me a chance to add to my collection with sssome authentic, locally-made examplesss."
"Oh, brother," Boa-Magnon quietly muttered. Freakazoid hadn't known it at the time, but back when he had first faced Cobra Queen and suggested she spruce up her original lair in the D.C. sewers with Japanese lanterns, it sparked a new hobby for the snake-themed villainess that carried over when she reformed and retired from the supervillain life.
"Well, still, great!" Freakazoid said. "Expect a call from Longhorn soon, he'll give you the rest of the details."
Tokyo-3, outside the Horaki residence, the following morning...
The Horaki family's car had been packed up with most of their belongings, as was the trailer they'd rented. The pilots and their friends were hanging out for a while before the Horakis would leave, as Kusagabe and the Tokyo-3 PD had managed to get the evacuation order out. Moving had been a bit easier for Toji's family, due to the progress Sakura had made under the care of NERV's medical staff that enabled her to travel; Mana and Mayumi, along with their parents, had left the city much earlier.
Right now, in addition to saying their goodbyes, Asuka and Shinji were also entrusting Hikari to look after Pen-Pen, said penguin nestled in the class rep's arms. As soon as Asuka finished giving Hikari some specific 'penguin-care' instructions, the two exchanged a hug before Hikari went over to give Toji a kiss for luck. Kensuke was there to quickly snap a group photo. Hopefully, when all was said and done and they made it out of this in one piece, they'd make this an annual tradition. When they were finished, Hikari and Pen-Pen got in her family's car, and soon they drove off to safety. Kensuke exchanged his own goodbyes with the pilots as he headed home, where he and his father would get ready to evacuate as well.
Unknown to everyone else, Freakazoid and Freakazette had secretly managed to rig up some animatronic decoys in the Freakalair to fool their 'roommates'' respective parents, enabling them to stay in the city so the Freaks could aid NERV in the battle to come. Kensuke and Mayumi themselves were still in the Freakalair, mentally preparing themselves for the coming struggle. This was something neither one of them had expected to face in their young lives, let alone being bonded to a pair of wacky superheroes. The two of them eyed a clock hanging on the wall as the minutes ticked towards 'game time'. As they did, the opening 52 seconds of Europe's "The Final Countdown" started to play in the background. Before the song could fully launch, Kensuke and Mayumi, finally noticing it, looked our way with furrowed brows.
"Will you stop that?!" they both demanded, annoyed.
Off to the side, a sound effects guy on a synthesizer held up his hands defensively as he stopped playing.
"Thank you," Mayumi said in a slight scolding manner, hands on her hips. She and Kensuke then turned to face each other again, the slightly-nervous looks back on their faces.
"Well..." Kensuke started to say.
"I can't believe it's here already," Mayumi said.
"Yeah..." Kensuke said in turn. "I mean, I used to always dream about going into big battles, but not under these circumstances."
"I just didn't think I'd end up fighting a battle for the fate of the world, period," Mayumi replied. "But you know something?"
"What's that?" Kensuke asked, curious.
Mayumi smiled a bit before continuing. "I'm actually kind of glad you bought that flawed Pinnacle chip. The two of us wouldn't be here otherwise."
Kensuke smiled in return. "Y'know something? I feel the same. I mean, sure, I could do without the random detours Freakazoid goes on to all those tourist traps and such, but still...If there's a good thing to come out of this, it's that I got to know you a bit more."
Mayumi was a bit surprised by this. "Really?"
Kensuke nodded. "What I'm trying to say is, well, Mayumi..."
"Kensuke, I..." Mayumi started to say.
"...Ireallylikeyou," they both said simultaneously, which shocked them greatly.
HA! Freakazoid laughed briefly.
JINX! Freakazette added.
YouoweeachotheraCokenow! both Freaks teased.
Kensuke and Mayumi slightly glared up at their own foreheads on hearing that.
"Knock it off!" they both said, before they gave themselves a facepalm. They then looked at each other and, deciding to just quickly 'go for it', shared a kiss for good luck. The two of them then stood up from where they'd been sitting.
"Ready?" Kensuke asked.
"Ready," Mayumi answered with confidence.
They then assumed a stance they'd become all too familiar with and said three little words:
"Ooooh, Freak Out!"
To be continued...
**Author's Note(s)**
The last battle's almost here, and with it, just what the heck Gutierrez has been planning...
Our chapter kicks off with, as you've noticed, a little more Stooges-esque fun with the defeated Angels.
With this chapter, a few more Freakazoid friends and frenemies finally make their proper debuts in the story:
1. Fan Boy's real name was of my own invention.
2. The Huntsman, following Second Impact, decided to defend America's wilderness from anyone wanting to exploit the natural resources within, becoming deputized by the Department of the Interior. As a character, the Huntsman is basically Green Arrow if played by Charlton Heston. He was kind of a superheroic 'butt-monkey' because of his lack of luck in finding crime to fight. The bit where he goes after the two slackers is inspired by a scene from the finale of the fourth season of The Simpsons, where singer/actress Bette Midler's the one who has it in for those who litter.
3. Lord Bravery, after aiding in the humanitarian efforts following Second Impact, hung up his cape as he took on a more 'normal' job running his deli. A British superhero who's a semi-caricature of Monty Python co-founder John Cleese, he's not that 'heroic' and more 'snooty', and was considered more of a laughingstock in the superhero community than the Huntsman. At one point (in the season one, episode 5 segment "Office Visit"), he lost the Lord Bravery name in a trademark dispute with a bakery that'd taken it, forcing him to eventually use the name 'Lord Smoked Meats and Fishes' for a time. His wife was unnamed in the original show, so I gave her one for my narrative purposes (same with their teenage son).
4. Longhorn appears for the first time in this story since way back when Freakazoid first met the folks at NERV-2. Following Second Impact, he wound up aiding in the recovery efforts by transporting supplies in Bessie Mae, and in spite of his lackluster musical ability, his singing did inspire a bit of morale in those he encountered during his runs. Freakazoid's means of convincing him is inspired by the speech Peter gives to the mayor in the original Ghostbusters.
5. Vorn the Unspeakable's current job riffs on the side job of Michael Keaton's character Captain Gene Mauch in the 2010 comedy The Other Guys. Vorn was a monster summoned by Waylon Jeepers in the season 2 episode "Statuesque".
6. Cave Guy and Cobra Queen I felt would probably be not too fond of Gutierrez, in spite of the rare occasions where they've worked together in the past. The latter's hobby of collecting Japanese lanterns refers to her debut episode in season 1, "Sewer or Later".
Well, I had to bring our two specs-wearing teen protagonists together somehow! I admit it could use some tweaking, but sometimes, inspiration can wax and wane during the process.
Now then, get ready, loyal readers-it's gonna be a bumpy set of ending chapters...
